1. Awakening of Mo Yichen

"Ugh…" A groan escaped Li Wei's lips, the sound barely audible yet laced with misery. His eyelids twitched as though he'd been trampled by a battalion of celestial warhorses. Every fiber of his being ached as if he had been repeatedly struck by divine lightning. A sharp gust of cold wind cut through the room, making him shiver involuntarily.

With great effort, his eyelids fluttered open, revealing an unfamiliar sight that sent a jolt of confusion through his hazy mind.

Instead of the polished crystalline ceilings of his celestial palace, he found himself staring at a crumbling roof riddled with cracks and cobwebs.

"What in the—" Li Wei began to mutter, only to trail off as his surroundings came into sharper focus.

He was sitting on a hard, uneven surface that he quickly identified as coarse concrete. Around him lay the remnants of what could barely be called a room.

The damp walls were overrun with creeping moss, a decrepit table leaned dangerously to one side, and a single stool stood in a corner like a lonely sentinel. Tattered curtains hung limply from rusted rods, swaying slightly in the breeze.

Li Wei attempted to stand, bracing himself against the damp wall. But the moment he shifted his weight, a sharp, searing pain shot through his left leg. "Argh!" he hissed, collapsing back onto the floor with a graceless thud.

He glanced down and froze. Blood. His left leg was soaked in it, the crimson stain spreading across the torn fabric of his robes.

Panic surged through him. "What in the heavens…?" he muttered, his voice hoarse, his mind spinning.

Just as he was trying to piece together what sort of nightmare he had stumbled into, a loud BANG startled him. The dilapidated wooden door flew open, nearly coming off its rusty hinges.

A figure emerged from the darkness, silhouetted against the dim moonlight that spilled into the room.

Li Wei blinked, his vision still slightly fuzzy.

It was a boy—no, a young man—around sixteen or seventeen. But what caught his attention wasn't the youth's age. It was the enormous belly protruding before him like a mountain.

The boy lumbered into the room with heavy, resounding steps, the space shrinking with every stride. His nose scrunched up in disdain, and he regarded Li Wei as one might regard a particularly unpleasant bug.

"You good-for-nothing trash!" the boy bellowed, his voice gruff and booming.

Li Wei, still disoriented, instinctively opened his mouth to retort. Before he could form a single word, a kick landed squarely against his chest. The force of it sent him hurtling backward, his body colliding with the damp wall.

"Cough! Cough!" Li Wei spat out a mouthful of blood, the metallic taste sharp on his tongue. His head throbbed, his vision swimming as though he had been tossed into a raging whirlpool.

"How dare you complain about me to Grandpa!" the boy thundered, his face contorted in anger as he lumbered closer. "Do you think just because he favors you, you can escape me?"

The boy bent down—or rather, he attempted to bend down, his massive belly making the task look almost comical. Li Wei, even in his pain-induced haze, couldn't help but think that the sight would've been hilarious under different circumstances.

"Escape you?!" Li Wei finally rasped, his tone incredulous despite the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Who even are you?!"

The fat boy's face darkened, his eyes narrowing in disbelief. "You dare mock me, Mo Yichen?! Don't tell me you've hit your head and forgotten the Great Zhao Guang, your senior cousin!"

Li Wei blinked, realization dawning upon him like a particularly unkind slap to the face. This wasn't his body. This wasn't his life. He was Mo Yichen now, and if this was his so-called cousin, he was starting to understand why the original owner of this body hadn't lived very long.

[BEEP BEEP. Congratulations on successfully occupying the body of Host Mo Yichen. You have officially transmigrated to the world assigned by the Immortal Bureau. The system is here to assist you in completing your mission. Feel free to ask any questions about your task.]

Li Wei's eyebrows twitched as a soft, cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts. Blinking, he realized time around him had stopped. His already aching head turned toward the source of the sound, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

Sitting on the edge of the broken-down table was… a cat.

Not just any cat—this one had shimmering fur, a smug smile, and eyes that practically screamed "I know all your secrets."

"A talking cat?" Li Wei muttered, massaging his temples. "That's the system?"

[Correct. I am the system, and a very advanced one, thank you very much.]

He groaned, his hand soothing the spot between his brows as the events of the day slowly caught up with him.

He had been transmigrated.

From Eryndor, no less, a celestial planet, where teenagers like him—genius prodigies or not—were tossed into worlds to complete missions before being granted full-fledged adulthood.

And of all the missions, Li Wei, top of his class, peerless among his generation, had been tasked with… this.

Ruling the world in a broken, blood-soaked body.

The cat tilted its head, tail swishing lazily as Li Wei's expression soured. "Troublesome.." he muttered, clenching at the tattered robe he now wore.

His leg throbbed painfully, reminding him of just how "sorry" his new host's situation was. "I didn't think Mo Yichen would be such a disaster." He sighed dramatically, his tone drenched in regret. "If I'd known I'd inherit his mess, I would've stayed in bed. Who wants to be an adult anyways"

The system-cat purred with a smug grin. [Would you like me to record that as feedback for the Immortal Bureau?]

Li Wei rolled his eyes, then leaned back against the damp wall with a resigned huff.

"Well, there's no point complaining now. Since I'm here, I'll clean up Mo Yichen's pathetic mess and finish this mission. Ruling a world? How hard can it be?" He clicks his tongue with a smirk.

[Optimism noted. Shall I brief you on your current situation?]

"Yes, tell me everything," Li Wei said, waving dismissively. "Also, why is the host in such a sorry state? Why did he pick a fight with a pack of wild boars?" he looks at the statue figure of the fat boy before sighing.

The cat snickered. [Would you like to download the host's memory data for clarity?]

Before Li Wei could even consider the consequences, a floating dialogue box popped up in front of him:

[Download Host Memory Data?]

[Yes] [No]

"Obviously, yes," Li Wei said, tapping the option with a smug grin. "What's the worst that can—AAAAAGH!"

The confident smirk was wiped clean off his face as he collapsed, clutching his head.

A flood of memories—blurry, crimson-tinged images—rushed into his mind like a tidal wave. Faces he didn't recognize, cries of pain, anger, and desperation—all blended into an overwhelming storm.

"MAKE IT STOP!" he croaked, voice hoarse as tears streamed down his face. He curled into himself on the cold floor, trembling like a kitten in the rain.

A moment later, the pain ebbed away, leaving him gasping and glaring at the smug cat.

[You should've braced yourself. Did you really think memory downloads was a fluff?]

Li Wei groaned, dragging himself upright. "You could've warned me!"

[Technically, I did.]

Li Wei shot the cat a murderous glare but quickly turned his attention inward, piecing together the fragments of Mo Yichen's life.

His host had been arrogant but pitiful… apparently, terrible at keeping himself alive.

"No wonder this guy ended up in such a pitiful state," Li Wei muttered. "He had enemies written all over him."

The cat stretched luxuriously. [Well, ruling the world isn't exactly a job for the faint-hearted. Shall we proceed?]

Li Wei's lips twitched. "Oh, we'll proceed, all right." He glanced down at his bloodied leg gritting his teeth. "But first, I need to take care of this body, or I'll bleed to death" 

[...Would you like to take a look at your storage bag?]

Mo Yichen froze mid-sulk, the system's question cutting through his rising despair like a ray of sunshine after a stormy day. He blinked. "Wait. Storage bag? I have my storage bag!!?"

[For the convenience of esteemed netizens, the Immortal Bureau has kindly allowed you access to items from your storage bag.]

Mo Yichen's eyes lit up, a spark of hope igniting in his otherwise miserable state.

'Finally, the heavens have smiled upon me after dumping me in this damp, moss-infested excuse for a room.' 

"I want to see it! Quick! Show me! Don't keep me in suspense!"

The system emitted a soft beep, and a glowing dialogue box appeared in front of him:

[...Loading.]

Mo Yichen practically vibrated with excitement, his leg pain momentarily forgotten. "Come on, come on! How long does it take to load a storage bag? Even the slowest tech on Eryndor isn't this slow!"

The box flickered, and with a satisfying chime, a dashboard popped up, neatly divided into five options.

At the top was the one he cared about most: [Storage]

Without sparing so much as a glance at the other options, Mo Yichen jabbed at it with speed.

As soon as he clicked, a magnificent list of items unfurled before him.

Rows upon rows of glittering immortal potions, gleaming elixirs, and celestial pills filled the screen, each more extravagant than the last. His jaw dropped, and a wide grin stretched across his face, replacing the earlier grimace of despair.

"This… This is incredible!" he exclaimed, his voice rising with glee as he counted the item.

'Look at this! Immortal Healing Potion, Elixir of Eternal Youth, Heavenly Power Pills—oh, and ten whole jars of Celestial Spirit Wine?!' He clapped his hands together, eyes practically sparkling. 

[Would you like to withdraw an item from your storage? Please note that excessive use of immortal items may disrupt the balance of the mortal world.]

"Disrupt the balance? I'm limping around in a half-dead body here.. If anything, I am the balance that needs restoring.." he mutters rolling his eyes.

He scrolled through the options like a child, muttering under his breath. 'Hmm… Should I go with the Heavenly Regeneration Pill? Or maybe the Phoenix Rebirth Elixir? No, no, that's too much for just a leg… I shouldn't waste these yet'

After scrolling through many porcelain jade bottles, his eyes landed on a curious item tucked away at the bottom of the list: [Mystery Orb (Handle with Caution)]

He squinted, tapping the item for details. A warning popped up: [Highly unpredictable. Side effects unknown.]

Furrowing his eyes, Mo Yichen back up again searching for the needed item.

Finally, after much deliberation, he settled on a Grade-5 Restoration Pill.

In the mortal world, most commoners rely on Grade-1 pills due to their simplicity and accessibility. These pills are the standard fare, easily condensed by beginner spiritual healers.

Speaking about spiritual healers, as a spiritual healer's cultivation advances, so does their ability to create more potent pills. For instance, a healer who has surpassed Stage 2 can typically refine Grade-3 pills. 

However, the higher the grade of the pill, the rarer the spiritual healer capable of producing it.

Spiritual healers at Stage 5 or above are exceedingly rare, their skills akin to legends whispered among mortals. Crafting anything beyond Grade-4 pills requires not only immense talent but also resources and spiritual energy that few can muster. 

As a prodigy doctor at a very young age, Li Wei was the only genius on his planet, surpassing even the immortal healers. Condensing immortal pills was never a big deal for him. 

He sighs his eyes fluttering. With a simple command, the item materialized in his hand in a flash of light.

The pill was as radiant as he'd hoped, and why shouldn't it? After all, it's made by him only! Its golden glow illuminated the dim, damp room. 

[BEEP: The system will now shut off. Please review the details of your next mission. Note: The system is linked to the host's body, which remains weak. Ensure proper care of the host.] 

Mo Yichen, still confused, hurriedly clicked on the details panel. He skimmed through the instructions, trying to make sense of it all as the system powered down with a final chime.